Bellator President Scott Coker: 'I think the free agents are just going to keep coming'

Tonight’s Bellator 165 event, like some other recent shows, is starting to truly feel like a Scott Coker product.

The former kickboxing promoter and ex-Strikeforce owner and CEO took over the helm of Bellator in 2014. Over the past couple years, he’s shaped – for better or worse – the business into his kind of fight promotion.

While he’s taken some gruff for signing past-their-prime fighters and former UFC stars such as Tito Ortiz, Chael Sonnen, Quinton Jackson, Ken Shamrock and the late Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, Coker has helped the promotion garner some extra viewers and media attention. When Bellator launched in 2008 under the helm of then-chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney, the tournament-based format gave the upstart fight promotion some credibility. But with the rigid tournament structure, the promotion couldn’t always capitalize and promote the most marketable fights, and its former weekly event schedule made it tough to adequately promote each show.

And though the organization developed some stars, including current lightweight champion and tonight’s Bellator 165 headliner, Michael Chandler, Coker knew they needed more to revive the sagging ratings.

“As far as the philosophy of building the roster, I think we had a good roster when I came in,” Coker told MMAjunkie Radio. “But let’s face it: We had to build some stars and find some stars.”

So, the spectacle became as important as the sporting aspect of events. They’re not always the greatest fights to watch from a pure skill perspective, but the familiar names – and a few weeks off between most shows – undoubtedly give fight fans a reason to tune in.

That philosophy opened the doors for those former UFC superstars, but it also rolled out the red carpet for veteran showmen such as Melvin Manhoef and Paul Daley, Coker said. More recently, though, it’s almost meant the signing of top free agents, including former UFC and WEC champ Benson Henderson (24-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA), who meets Chandler (15-3 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) in tonight’s Spike-televised headliner at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., as well as recently crowned light-heavyweight champion Phil Davis, former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald and veteran heavyweight Matt Mitrione.

More could be on the way.

“We’re committed to building a fight league to the best of our ability, and I think the free agents are just going to keep coming,” Coker said.

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But in addition to the roster, Coker is perhaps most proud of the fight-night feel that Bellator gives to event attendees and the audience at home.

“I think we honestly have the best produced show in MMA, when you look at the quality of the production and the screens and the lighting,” Coker said. “I mean, Spike TV knows how to put that together. They do a fantastic job, and I’ve been around a lot of great production.

That’s always been a source of pride for Coker, who learned early in his combat-sports career that a little production can go a long way. It was no more evident than in 2001.

“I’ll never forget walking into a stadium with 65,000 people for a kickboxing show – the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2001,” he said. ” … I thought that when we want to do it, this is how we should do it, and that’s how we did it in Strikeforce. And Spike has just taken it to a whole different level. So I’m appreciate of that.

Although Strikeforce never reached the heights of the UFC, the organization had a roster of absolute superstars – Fedor Emelianenko, Ronda Rousey, Alistair Overeem, Robbie Lawler, Cung Le, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, Fabricio Werdum and Luke Rockhold, among others – before the UFC ultimately swallowed it up and shut it down in 2013.

Back then, the Showtime-televised Strikeforce was lauded for its slick production values. Coker, though, is even prouder of Bellator’s work in that department. And any edge is important, especially on a day like today – when Bellator faces competition from two different UFC events (UFC Fight Night 99 and UFC Fight Night 100) on two different continents.

“And man, this is a whole different level,” Coker said of the current Bellator-Spike production quality.

Still, star power is still the most important thing, and thankfully for Bellator, tonight’s Chandler vs. Henderson fight could be the top matchup of the day. Not only does it feature two notable lightweights in a title fight, it’s just an interesting stylistic matchup. Throw in the slick production values, and Coker hopes to lure some would-be UFC viewers over to Spike instead.

On March 19, 2011, 23-year-old Jon Jones brutalized UFC light heavyweight champion “Shogun” Rua to become the youngest titleholder in UFC history. But for Jones, it was only the start of a wild ride that at times spun out of control.